Trapped
by editorbit
Summary: Jeremiah feels as if he's staring at an animal in a zoo. And it's not that far off really.


Jeremiah feels as if he's staring at an animal in a zoo. And it's not that far off really. Except the fact that what's separating him from this animal - a word that fits really well - are some walls and a screen, rather than a fence. A fence would not have been enough, not anywhere near enough if a prison couldn't keep this animal trapped. This though, him and these walls, they will do the trick.

He keeps an eye on him for quite some time. There's just something oddly satisfying about watching him - Jerome - in there. It's like when you were little and managed to catch a fly and you kept it trapped in your hands, except usually you let that fly go after a few seconds, unless you were Jerome that is. This wasn't the case here. He was not about to let him go. This little fly would stay trapped.

He sits in his chair, half-empty cup of coffee in front of him as he sits and watches him. Sometimes Jerome sits on the floor, back resting against the wall of his little cell, humming or whistling to himself and probably not realising he's being watched. Sometimes he's standing, pacing around the room in boredom, still not aware of Jeremiah watching. Other times Jeremiah might go get some coffee and return to see Jerome doing something like yoga or maybe some push-ups. Jeremiah isn't really sure if he knows he's being watched or not in those moments.

Other times Jerome seems to know, or perhaps just assumes, he's watching. Jeremiah wonders if it's a twin thing or if he just gets that feeling you get when someone's staring at you, but does that really work through a screen? Probably not.

His head will turn and he'll look up at the camera, giving Jeremiah a view of that scarred face and those stretched lips. He'll smile and wave while doing whatever it is he's doing, whether it's just sitting there or doing push-ups. It sends an odd feeling through him. It's like Jerome can see him. He knows he can't. He was the one setting it all up after all. All Jerome can see is a camera. Just a lens. Nothing more. If anything, all he sees is himself in the reflection.

Sometimes he'll do something cheesy - and obviously fake and over-exaggerated - like blow him kisses or make hearts with his hands at him while speaking with fake care and affection in his voice, getting way too close to the camera for comfort. Jeremiah scoots away at that as if Jerome's going to reach him through the screen with those hands.

Now all Jerome's doing is leaning against the wall, clearly bored out of his mind. The room he got put in isn't that big, nor does it contain much and all he can really do in there is well... Not that much. Jerome has done it all by now. Jeremiah just watches, picking up his nth cup of coffee just that day to take a sip. It's cold. How long has he been sitting here? Hours? Looking back at Jerome, who's still not doing very much, he decides to go get some more coffee. Perhaps he'll work on something for a little while, do something productive, something other than staring at that screen and at him. Jerome hasn't been doing anything remotely interesting.

He stands, pushes his chair back to the desk and turns to leave. He hasn't seen Ecco in a while, he thinks to himself. After such a long time by himself with those screens, someone to interact with would be nice.

"Oh Jeremiah~." The singsongy voice stops him in his tracks and his fingers clutches the cup ever so slightly tighter. Had it not been for the fact that the voice sounds slightly distorted, he would have thought the voice came from this room, specifically from right behind him.

It's like he knew he was leaving, he tells himself. Debating on whether he should just go get that cup of coffee or not, he turns around to look at the screen he had just been looking - staring - at. His brother's face is plastered all over it as he's propped up to shove his face into the camera. A smile stretches across Jerome's already stretched lips. Jeremiah stays frozen in his place.

Finally his feet move and he walks right over to sit back down. He places his cup down and watches as Jerome continues to just stare back at him through the screen like he's waiting for Jeremiah's answer. If he speaks, Jerome won't hear him. He can if he wants him to though, a click and Jerome will hear him clear as day, but frankly, he's not very interested in speaking with him. Jerome wants him to, but he won't. He's fairly sure Jerome's plan isn't a casual chat.

"Come on," the voice continues, dragging the words out. "Don't you wanna chat with your brother? It's been so long. How've you been?" Had he not known better and hadn't he been able to see him, Jeremiah might have been tricked by that overly sincere tone.

He quite honestly preferred to watch Jerome from a bit further away than this and while he wasn't talking to him like he was right there in the room with him. Who likes to go to a zoo where the lion goes right up to your face and eyes you like it's going to climb over the fence and get you?

A dramatic sigh escapes the dry, cracked lips of his brother and he steps away from the camera. And is that a pout on his face or are Jeremiah's eyes playing tricks on him? "You hurt me, really." Jerome places a hand over his heart - if he has one in there - and that look on his face is as artificial as it can get. Jeremiah does nothing but scoff as he reaches a hand out to turn the screen off.

"But that's fine." He pauses. Might as well let him finish before he finally turns that screen off and does something productive. "We have all the time in the world to catch up." How long will Jeremiah really keep him there? He hadn't really thought about that before. As long as needed, he decides. This place is a perfect little prison for him. No one would ever look for him here, perhaps not anywhere at all considering the circumstances. And whenever Jeremiah finds a purpose for him, either as his little zoo animal or something entirely different, then Jerome will just have to follow through.

"Soon."

Jeremiah cuts him off, but is very sure that was laughter he heard in the end. Soon. Jeremiah ignores the feeling running through him. Empty promises, he tells himself. If there is any cell Jerome can't break out of, it would be one made by him.


End file.
